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2013 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections
Subcommittee Campaigns and Elections

Vogel (Chairman), Howell, Martin, Edwards, Petersen, Carrico, Garrett

Clerk: Maribeth Turner, Jocelyn Lance
Staff: M. Spain, D. Cotter, J. Austin
Date of Meeting: January 23, 2013
Time and Place: Wednesday, 10:00 AM, Senate Room A

S.B. 723 Electoral College; State's electoral votes shall be allocated by congressional district.

Patron: Carrico

Electoral College. Provides that the Commonwealth's electoral votes shall be allocated by congressional district. Receipt by a slate of presidential electors of the highest number of votes in a congressional district constitutes the election of the congressional district elector of that slate. Receipt by a slate of electors of the highest number of votes in a majority of congressional districts constitutes the election of the two at-large electors of that slate. In the event no slate receives the highest number of votes in a majority of districts, receipt by a slate of the highest number of votes statewide shall constitute election of the two at-large electors of that slate.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-202, 24.2-203, 24.2-542, 24.2-542.1, 24.2-543, and 24.2-673 of the Code of Virginia, relating to electors for President and Vice President.

13100996D

S.B. 739 Mechanical and electronic voting devices; number required.

Patron: Petersen

Voting devices; number required. Provides that there shall be at least one voting device for each 500 registered voters in a precinct. The current requirement is for one device for each 750 registered voters.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-627 of the Code of Virginia, relating to required number of mechanical and electronic voting devices.

13101183D

S.B. 813 Electoral boards and general registrars; reimbursement of costs of compensation and expenses.

Patron: Garrett

Compensation and expenses of electoral boards and general registrars. Provides for reimbursement by the state to the localities of the entire costs of compensation and expenses of the electoral boards and general registrars.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-108 and 24.2-111 of the Code of Virginia, relating to compensation and expenses of electoral board members and general registrars.

13101212D

S.B. 830 Military and overseas citizens; authorization to establish pilot program to vote absentee.

Patron: Puller

Voting by military and overseas citizens; pilot program. Authorizes the Secretary of the State Board of Elections to establish a pilot program or demonstration project with the U.S. Department of Defense Federal Voting Assistance Program or other federal agency for the purposes of allowing members of the military on active duty and their spouses, citizens residing outside of the United States, and military voters with disabilities or injuries to vote absentee by secure electronic means or other new technologies.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 7 of Title 24.2 a section numbered 24.2-714, relating to voting by military and overseas citizens; pilot program.

13101083D

S.B. 874 Absentee voting and procedures; secure return of voted military-overseas ballots.

Patron: McWaters

Elections; absentee voting and procedures; secure return of voted military-overseas ballots. Directs the State Board of Elections to provide instructions and procedures so that uniformed-service voters can return voted military-overseas ballots securely by electronic format. The bill also provides for expedited procedures when a ballot is requested but not sent by the deadline for making ballots available.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-706 of the Code of Virginia, relating to absentee voting and procedures; secure return of voted military-overseas ballots.

13100876D

S.B. 962 Officers of election; local electoral board may appoint person 17 years of age, requirements.

Patron: Ebbin

Officers of election. Provides that a local electoral board may appoint a person 17 years of age as an officer of election, provided such person is a citizen of the United States, a resident of the Commonwealth, and, to the extent practicable, a resident of the precinct he is appointed to serve.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-115of the Code of Virginia, relating to appointment of officers of election.

13101018D

S.B. 1027 Voting; handling of overvoted ballots.

Patron: Edwards

Voting; overvoted ballots. Provides, in the case of ballots that are inserted into an electronic counting device, that if a ballot is found to have voted for a greater number of names for one office than the number of persons required to fill the office, the ballot shall be considered void only for that office and the votes for other offices on the ballot are to be counted. Paper ballots already are handled in this manner.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-663 of the Code of Virginia, relating to when ballot void; handling overvoted ballots.

13101743D

S.B. 1072 Elections; electronic pollbooks, photographs.

Patron: Obenshain

Elections; electronic pollbooks; photographs. Provides that electronic pollbooks shall contain a photograph of and identifying information for each voter either received from the Department of Motor Vehicles or taken by an officer of election when the voter presents himself to vote that shall be accessed by the officer of election when the voter presents himself to vote. If the voter does not appear to be the same person depicted in the photograph in the pollbook, any qualified voter may and the officer of election shall challenge the vote of such voter. A voter with religious objections to being photographed may refuse to have his photograph taken.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-404, 24.2-611, 24.2-643, 24.2-651, and 46.2-208.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; electronic pollbooks; photographs.

13103420D

S.B. 1077 Registered voters; citizenship, SAVE Program.

Patron: Obenshain

Registered voters; citizenship; SAVE Program. Authorizes the State Board of Elections to apply to participate in the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Program (SAVE Program) operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The SAVE Program enables access to immigration status and citizenship status information possessed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. If the application is approved, the State Board will utilize the SAVE Program for the purposes of verifying that voters listed in the Virginia Voter Registration System are United States citizens and shall promulgate rules and regulations governing the use of the immigration status and citizenship status information received from the SAVE Program.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-404 and 24.2-427 of the Code of Virginia, relating to registered voters; citizenship; SAVE Program.

13103248D

S.B. 1145 Absentee ballots; confirmation of receipt.

Patron: McEachin

Absentee ballots; confirmation of receipt. Requires the Secretary of the State Board of Elections, in coordination with local election officials, to implement a free-access system by which a voter may determine whether his application for an absentee ballot has been received and accepted and whether his absentee ballot has been received and the current status of the absentee ballot.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-711.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to absentee ballots; confirmation of receipt.

13101979D

S.B. 1155 Electoral boards; appointments shall be on nonpartisan basis.

Patron: Barker

Electoral boards, appointment. Provides that appointments to local electoral boards shall be on a nonpartisan basis, eliminating current provisions for party representation on boards and submission of appointment recommendations by the political parties.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-106 of the Code of Virginia, relating to appointment of members of local electoral boards.

13102803D

S.B. 1229 Elections, State Board of; increases size of membership.

Patron: Vogel

State Board of Elections; Director of Elections. Increases the size of the State Board of Elections from three to five members. The bill also provides for the position of Director of Elections to be hired by the State Board with the concurrence of at least four of its members, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly, as head of the elections agency, in place of the present position of the Secretary who is a member of the State Board appointed by the Governor. The Director may be removed only by a vote of at least four members of the State Board.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 2.2-106, 24.2-101, 24.2-102, 24.2-404.1, 24.2-411.2, 24.2-455, 24.2-464, 24.2-502, 24.2-644, 24.2-713, 24.2-946.4, 24.2-953.3, 24.2-953.4, and 64.2-2014 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections and the State Board of Elections; providing for a Director of Elections.

13101868D

S.B. 1256 Voter identification requirements; photo ID.

Patron: Obenshain

Voter identification requirements; photo ID. Requires photo ID at the polls by eliminating all forms of identification that do not contain a photograph of the voter from the list of forms of identification any one of which a voter must present in order to be allowed to vote. The bill also adds a valid United States passport to the list and requires that a student identification card issued by an institution of higher education in the Commonwealth contain a photograph in order to be used by a voter. The bill does not affect the right of a voter who does not present one of the required forms of identification to cast a provisional ballot. The bill also provides that the State Board shall provide voter registration cards that contain a voter's photograph and signature if the voter does not possess other satisfactory photo ID.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-404, 24.2-411.1, and 24.2-643 of the Code of Virginia, relating to voter identification requirements; photo ID.

13103249D